Railroad signal or alarm.



. PATENTED PR. 26, 1904.- I R. F. STUART. RAILROAD RIGNAROR ALARM.

APPLIQAT ION FILED 00T.14, 1903.

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No. 758,485. PATBNTED APR. 2 1904.

' R. F. STUART.

RAILROAD SIGNAL 0R ALARM.

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N0-'7 58,485. PATENTED APR. 26, 190.4.

E. P. STUART.

RAILROAD SIGNAL 0R ALARM. I

APPLICATION FILED. OUT. 14, 1903.

N0. MODEL. 3 BEEETSSHBET 3i UNITED STATES Patented April 26, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

RAILROAD SIGNAL OR ALARM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 758,485, dated April 26, 1904.

' Application filed October 14, 1903. Serial No. 177,015. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT FRANKLIN STU- ART, a citizen of the United States, residing at Logansport, in the county of Cass and State of Indiana, have invented new and useful Improvements in Railroad Signals or Alarms, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements more particularly in electrical railway-signals. It has for its object to provide a cautionary signal produced in the form of the sounding of a gong, flash-lights, or otherwise at all railroad and highway crossings, curves in tracks, tunnels, and all other points of danger for the benefit of both the traveling public and persons about to cross such tracks, at which points said gong is continuously sounded, and alight when circumstances or conditions render it also desirable is presented also continuously from the time every train approaches within a certain limit of said points until such train has reached the same. It provides for the signaling by a watchman or attendant stationed at any crossing of two or more railroads of the approach of all trains upon any and all of the roads at such crossing at any reasonable distance from such crossing. It is also adapted to be used for and replace highway alarmbells, crossing-signals, block-signals, annunciator-bells, signal-lights, semaphore-signals, switch-signals, and switch-lights.

Said invention consists of sundry combinations and arrangements of parts or features, substantially as hereinafter more fully disclosed, and specifically pointed out by the claims concluding the following specification.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating the preferred embodiment of my invention, Figure 1 is a diagrammatic View thereof in connection with a railroad-crossing. Fig. 2 is a detailed view of certain parts, and Fig. 3 is a like view of certain other parts, and Fig. 4c is a broken enlarged detailed view more particularly of the circuit making or forming device adapted to be actuated by the car-wheel and its engaging dog or detent. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the device.

In the practicing of my invention I suitably dispose, as diagrammatically indicated in Fig. 1, at certain intervals apart the respective members or parts thereof,.electrically connecting up the same, as will now be described.

A plunger 1, preferably cylindric in crosssection, is arranged to have a sliding action in an upstanding apertured bracket or post2 of a preferably steel block or plate 3, placed adjacently toand upon the inner side of one of the track-rails, said plunger having at one end a head or enlargement 1*, with its rounded edge laterally abutting the tread of said rails, so as to be readily engaged by the car-wheel flange. Said plunger is preferably composed of two principal members 1 1", one cushioned within and upon a spring 1, housed in the other member, to permit of a limited independent movement of said members one of the other as the car-wheel flange engages the head or enlargement 1 to prevent liability of the breakingof or concussion between the engaging parts-2 6., said plunger and the other parts presently described. Said plunger and its adjunctive parts and actuation will be described presently.

A movable rod or slide t is supported in a passage within an upstanding part or member 1 of the plate 3 and has a right-angled arm 4: arranged to slide within an elongated slot P of said part 4, to the ends of which slide or rod are connected wires 5 5, extending a half-mile or more, as may be desired, and with eccentrics or cranks 6,presently more 'fully disclosed.

Suitably arranged and pivoted upon the plate 3 are opposite levers 7 7, the shorter arm of one lever having connected thereto one end of a dog 8, the opposite end of the lastnamed being connected to the other of said levers intermediately of the pivot and free end of the latter lever. The free or upturned ends 8 of said levers are adapted to engage pendent projections or shoulders 4 of the slide or rod 4: for efiecting the longitudinal movement of the latter, as hereinafter more fully described. The dog 8 has its upstanding portion or shoulder 8 adapted to enter or engage a lateral notch 8, formed in the plunger 1, to provide for the retention of the latter when the circuit is formed in contact with the arm 4: of the slide or rod 4:, as presently seen. The levers 7 7 a when said dog is disengaged from and releases said plunger are restored to their initial 01: normal position by means of a spring 1,

9, suitably connected to the part 4 and to one of said levers, respectively. A wire 10 connects the arm 4 of the slide 4 with an elec- 1 road junction or crossing of railroads, sharp curve in a single track, or entrance to a tunnel, or any danger-point along theline of a steam-railroad, interurban or street railway. which may vary from a half-mile to any distance required in opposite directions from said crossing or danger-point.

A second plunger 13, having a head or enlargement 13, is arranged to similarly have movement in an upstanding part or member 14 of a base-plate 14, suitably located close to one rail of the track, said head having its rounded surface in contact with the tread of the rail to permit the ready engagement therewith of the car-wheel flange. Said plunger has one end eccentrieally pivoted or connected to the eccentric 6 above referred to, and to which the wires 5 are connected, as also previously noted, said eccentric having its axis or pivot suitably stepped or bearing in the base-plate 14 and a bar or bracket 14" secured to the top edge of the member 14 of said plate. This arrangement of plunger and eccentric or crank, connected by the wires 5 to the sliding rod 4 of the aforesaid mechanism or appliances, is located intermediately of the latter. Again, at points beyond the first-described appliances or devices say far enough therefrom to include several cars on an interurban or street railway and also the longest or maximum steam -railroad train are arranged duplicate appliances or devices 15 exactl y the counterpart of the last-described appliances or devices as relates to the plunger and eccentric, but differing, however, therefrom in having only a single wire connection 16 therebetween and said first-described devices or appliances.

A gong 2O opposite the crossing above noted is connected by a wire 18 to the battery 11, while an additional wire 21 extends therefrom and is strung upon poles erected along the line of the railway or passed through tubes or conduits buried underground along the latter. At points 22 23 along said additional wire 21 may be displayed flash-light signals, as indicated, to inform the engineer or motorman that the electric current has been established and the whole alarm apparatus set in working order.

The operation of the foregoing parts will now be described. \Vhen the flange of the enginewheel of the train strikes or engages the head 1 of the plunger 1, effecting the engagement of the latter with the arm 4 of the slide 4, a circuit, it is obvious, will instantly be formed,

sounding the-gong 20 and exhibiting an electric light at 22 via the wire 21, also alight at 23 if the train be a nn'oaching from that direction. As soon as the car-wheel engages the plunger-head 1 the notch or recess 8 of the plunger is brought into engagement with the shoulder 8" of the dog 8, thus effecting the temporary holding of said parts as against further movement from the passage of the train thereover. When the train reaches and the forward wheel-flange of the engine engages the head 13 of the plunger 13, the lastnamed aetuates the eccentric 6, which by means of the wire 5 will pull the slide 4, and

thus cause it to actuate the levers 77, in turn moving the dog 8 8, so as to trip or disengage said dog from the plunger 1, permitting said dog and plunger to return to their initial position, said head being automatically reengaged with the track=rail by a spring 1",

applied to said plunger intermediatelyof said head and the part 2 of the plate 3, the alarm and light thus being silenced and extinguished, respectively. It will beunderstood,

of course, that by the action of the appliance or device 6 13 13, arranged directly at the crossing, as the train is passing beyond that point one wire J, connected with the eccentric 6, has actuated the slide 4 of one of the lateral appliances 1,&c. ,according to the direction in which the trainmay be moving, consequentl y carrying the arm 4 out of alinement with the plunger 1, thus rendering it impos-' sible for the passage of the current and securing the results above last stated. When the train has reached the single-wire appliance or device stationed beyond either of those designated as 1, &c., the effect or action upon the plunger-head 13 will be such as to actuate the eccentric 6 thereof so as to return,

through the aid of the wire 5, the slide 4 to its initial or original position, consequently again bringing the arm 4" into alinement with the plunger 1, thus providing for reestablishing the electrical current under like conditions or circumstances as aforesaid.

It maybe incidentally remarked that the device disclosed principally by Fig. 2 may be designated as the automatic electric-current connector, that shown by Fig. 4 as the automatic electriccurrent disconneetor, and that disclosed by Fig. 1 with a single-wire connection and arranged beyond the device of Fig. 2 as the adjuster.

It will be understood that latitude is allowed herein as to details, as they may be changed as circumstances suggest without departing from the spirt of my invention and said invention yet remain intact and be protected.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In electric signaling or alarm mechanism,

a plunger adapted to be actuated by a moving part on a track-rail and comprising an automatically-yielding member, a sliding part or member adaptedv to have movement at right angles to said plunger and having an arm adapted to be engaged by said yielding member, means connected to said sliding member, adapted to be subsequently actuated as relates to the actuation of said plunger for effecting the temporary holding of said plunger, and means electrically connected to the aforesaid parts, adapted to serve as a signal or alarm.

3. In electric signaling or alarm mechanism, a plunger adapted to be actuated by a movingpart on a track-rail and comprising an automatically-yielding member, a sliding part or member having movement at right angles to said plunger and having an arm adapted to be engaged by said yielding member, means connected to said sliding member, adapted to be subsequently actuated as relates to the actuation of said plunger for 'eifecting the temporary holding of said plunger, means for carrying the arm of said sliding member out of alinement with said plunger, means for restoring said arm of said slide to its initial position, into alinement again with said plunger, and means electrically connected to the aforesaid parts, adapted to serve as a signal or alarm.

4. In electric signaling or alarm mechanism, a plunger adapted to be actuated by a moving part on a track-rail, a sliding part or member having an arm and movement at right angles to said plunger, said arm being adapted to be engaged by said plunger, means connected to said sliding member or part, adapted to be subsequently actuated as relates to the actuation of said plunger, for the temporary holding of said plunger, means for carrying the arm of said sliding member out of alinement with said plunger, means for restoring said sliding member, with its arm, to their initial position, again into alinement'with said plunger, means for tripping the plunger temporary holding means, and means electrically connected to the aforesaid parts, adapted to serve as a signal or alarm.

5. In electric signaling or alarm mechanism, a plunger adapted to be actuated by a moving part on a track-rail, a dog having a shoulder engaging a notch in said plunger, means for actuating said dog comprising a slide having an arm movable at right angles to, and adapted to contact with, said plunger, and means for controlling said dog-actuating means from the track-rail. I

6. In electric signaling or alarm mechanism, a plunger adapted to be actuated from the track-rail, a dog having a shoulder engaging a notch in said plunger, spring-pressed levers connected to said dog, a slide having an arm movable at right angles to, and adapted to contact with, said plunger and having means for actuating said levers, and means adapted to control said slide from the track-rail.

7. In electric signaling and alarm mechanism, a plunger adapted to be actuated from the track-rail, a dog having a shoulder engaging a notch in said plunger, spring-pressed levers connected to said dog, a slide having an arm movable at right angles to, and adapted to contact with, said plunger, said slide also having pendent projections or lugs engaging said levers, and means adapted to actuate said slide from the track-rail.

8. In electric signaling and alarm mechanism, a plunger adapted to be actuated from the track-rail, a dog having a shoulder engaging a notch in said plunger, spring-pressed levers connected to said dog and having up turned end portions, a slide having pendent projections engaging said ends, additional plungers also actuated from the track-rail, wires connected to said slide and to eccentrics actuated by said additional plungers.

9. In electric signaling or alarm mechanism, plungers arranged uponopposite sides of a railroad-crossing, sliding members, each having an arm arranged in alinement with a plunger, dogs for effecting the temporary holding of said plungers, spring-pressed levers for carrying each plunger, a third plunger arranged intermediately of the first-referred-to plungers, means connecting an eccentric actuated by the latter plunger with said sliding members, two other plungers arranged beyond said first-referred-to plungers, means elfe cting connection between the last-referredto plungers and said first-referred-to plungers, and means electrically connected to the aforesaid parts, adapted to serve as a signal or alarm, said plungers all adaptedto be actuated or controlled from the track-rail.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ROBERT FRANKLIN STUART.-

Witnesses:

JOHN B. VVINTERs, WILL H. SOHROEDER. 

